Severance: Exploring The Show's Influence From This Internet Creepypasta

gamerant.com:

It's remarkable how a single grain of a concept can spawn a zeitgeist of art or entertainment. Such is the case with the unique series on Apple TV +, Severence. The show, nominated for 14 Emmys, is a wondrous yet unsettling trip into the unknown, gripping viewers with its distinct blend of drama, surreal sci-fi, black comedy, and psychological horror. Creator Dan Erickson artfully presents a tale of inner conflict and nefarious corporate dealings, obscured by secrecy — and compartmentalized memories.

Viewers follow troubled leads Mark (Adam Scott) and Helly (Britt Lower), and their «Macrodata Refinement» coworkers through the offices of Lumon Industries. This prominent mega-corp occupies a huge building rife with bright lights, bland shades of beige, and rigid, power-hungry managers roaming about. A strange revelation seems to wait around almost every corner. What does Macrodata Refinement's number-arranging achieve? What sort of dealings take place here, and why are they so sensitive that workers must separate work and non-work memories?

Severance: How The Show Perfectly Blends Multiple Genres

And how can anyone manage to navigate Lumon HQ, which is wrought with vacant spaces and mazes of unmarked hallways? This is where an aforementioned grain of Severence’s influences comes into play — a popular internet urban legend, or 'Creepypasta' called The Backrooms.

Severance was inspired by a range of sources, stemming initially from writer and showrunner Erickson’s desire to «disassociate from the next eight hours [from his small, windowless office job],» as he explains in an interview with Inverse. The show is an amalgamation of diverse influences, including The Truman Show and The Stanley Parable, as well as the office comedy